Leeds City of Sanctuary - The Journey Begins...

The Journey Begins

The evening of Thursday 11th November 2010 saw hundreds of people from all walks of life unite to mark the launch of our aim for Leeds to become a City of Sanctuary.

Revd Dr Inderjit Bhogal, founder of the national City of Sanctuary movement, addressed the event and spoke on the importance of offering and finding sanctuary. He also wished Leeds well as it starts out on its journey to becoming a recognised City of Sanctuary.

Before the event, nearly 300 individuals and 70 organisations had already pledged their support to the movement, each making a promise to do something that will make Leeds a more welcoming and fair place for people fleeing war or persecution. At the event itself many more signed up their support.

Fabian Hamilton MP who publicly signed his support on the night, spoke movingly of his grandparents finding safety in the UK after fleeing Nazi Germany.

Daniella Smith, the newly crowned Miss Africa Yorkshire also lent her support, saying that she hoped to use her title to promote awareness of people seeking safety in Leeds.

Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, John Packer, also declared his support, and spoke about how welcoming others to our city can have a positive impact on the life of the city.

Many more messages of support came from all quarters of the city including Leeds City Council, Costco, the Co-op, Princes Foods, from university students and from mosques, churches, synagogues, gudwaras, temples and many more.

Since the launch hundreds more individual supporters have signed their personal pledges to make Leeds a City of Sanctuary, and many more organisations have looked to what they can do to help integrate and welcome refugees and asylums seekers into Leeds life.

The Work ContinuesLeeds City of Sanctuary is led by a working group with representatives from many different organisations and sectors. The hope is to eventually have sub-groups representing a cross section of Leeds society and reflecting the incorporation of sanctuary principles into the every day life of thousands of people and groups across the city.

So far we have sub-groups for schools, health, universities, and faith, with initiatives beginning in several other areas. Hundreds of schools have received lessons about refugee experiences, often hearing first-hand stories from refugees. Now there is a move among schools to become ‘schools of sanctuary’, where pupils and teachers work together to see how their school can be a place of welcome. This information and much more is available on the website at www.cityofsanctuary.org/leeds.